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Praying To The Holy Spirit
I am reading Charles Stanley's book "Relying On The Holy Spirit." In it he tells us "Maintain your ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. Talk to Him daily, just as you might pray to God the Father. Recognize His presence. Ask for His help. Invite Him to lead and guide you into right paths and right decisions."
What is your relationship with the Holy Spirit like? Do you pray to the Holy Spirit? This is a new concept to me. I have prayed to Jesus and of course to the Father and have asked for the Holy Spirit's help in certain situations. I think Charles Stanley is talking about something deeper here though, a deeper, closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. What are your thoughts on this?
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Permalink Reply by Colby on
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"When the Counselor [the Holy Spirit] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." (John 15:26)
Can we pray to the Holy Spirit?
As with all matters of faith and practice, for guidance concerning prayer, we should consult the Holy Scriptures.
- The Old and New Testaments are full of many examples where prayer is directed to the Father, including specifically those of Jesus and the apostle Paul. Prayer can also be directed to Jesus. (Acts 7:59; John 14:12-14). I can't think of a specific example where the Holy Spirit is the object of prayer.
- So does this mean the Holy Spirit is "the odd man out?" Am I answering "no" -- that we shouldn't pray to the Holy Spirit? Not so fast. I have more to say.
- We are told to "pray in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 1:20; Eph 6:18) and that the Holy Spirit "intercedes for us" (Rom 8:26).
- I've heard it explained this way: We should pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.*
Let's unpack this some more.
- Protestants typically pray to the Father, modeling the Lord's Prayer (Mat 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4) and concluding with "in Jesus' name" (invoking John 14:13).
- Catholics and Orthodox Christians pray to the Father, Son or the Holy Spirit, as well as all three. Prayers are concluded by invoking the Trinity as the Apostle Paul does with his benedictions and as Jesus does with his Great Commission: "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Mat 28:16-20).
So, where does this leave us?
- We can and should pray to God.
- The Holy Spirit is God (as is the Father and the Son).
- Therefore, we can pray to the Holy Spirit (as well as the Father, the Son, or all three).
* Got Questions?org; CARM.org; Credo House Ministries; Trinity Baptist Church;
Delve into Jesus; Skokie Central Church
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Permalink Reply by Michael Kinch on
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Colby thank-you for your very excellent post. I agree that we can pray to the Holy Spirit. However in my christian experience for the most part it has not been the case. I think that I have really missed out on much that God has for me. Please pray for me as I seek a deeper relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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Michael, Thank you for the kind and encouraging words.
Indeed. We all need to continually seek a deeper relationship with God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Of the three co-equal and co-eternal persons that comprise the ONE true and living Godhead, the Holy Spirit is perhaps the least understood.
We best understand his as a "supporting" role in the sense that, among other things, the Holy Spirit:
1) brings us to faith in Christ (Titus 3:5; John 3:5, 8);
2) sanctifies and sustains us in faith (1 Peter 1:2);
3) is a "counselor" or "advocate" sent to us by the Father, at the request of Jesus, who will teach us all things (John 14:26) and
4) he glorifies Christ (John 16:14); just as Jesus and God the Father glorify each other (John 17:1)
At the risk of sounding overly simplistic, the Holy Spirit doesn't draw a lot of attention to himself. We typically associate God the Holy Spirit with testifying about and glorifying Jesus and in leading us to, teaching, and guiding us in, faith.
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Michael,
Colby has shared a great answer with you. In my own life, knowing that Holy Spirit is the Gift of God, I include Him in all aspects of my life. God sent Him to give us comfort, and He does that for me as well as giving me much needed answers to questions that I have (which are many.) The more I talk to Him, the more real He becomes to me. I have learned to listen for His Voice. Now, I am hearing it and recognizing it as being His Words. There was a time when I had to determine if it was Him or my own thoughts. Now, when He speaks, I hear Him.
Blessings to you, Michael, as you grow in the Holy Spirit.....
Rita
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Thank-you Rita. I really appreciate you sharing your personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. It means alot to me. I get the sense that you have a relationship that we all crave and need. I know that I long for that kind of relationship. We sing "He walks, with me and He talks with me, and He tells me that I am His own ..." Lets press on and develop that relationship with God.
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Thank-you Taminator. It is on my book list in my study of the Holy Spirit. I have it in my Vyrso (Logos) library. I picked it up for free a while back when they were offering it. I am really being blessed in my study and am being drawn closer and closer to God. I thought I knew all about the Holy Spirit, I did know a fair amount but am learning more. More importantly though, more important than knowing about the Holy Spirit I am getting to know Him personally on a more intimate level. Regarding "The Forgotten God" what was it that impressed you the most?
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